Lowland League relegation scrap is not a surprise to Edinburgh University boss

Dorian Ogunro rates Mark Waters as one of the best in the division

Edinburgh University boss Dorian Ogunro admits his team are in a relegation scrap – but insists they are positioned exactly where he expected them to be.

The students currently occupy second from bottom in the Lowland League and are just a point better off than tomorrow’s opponents Vale of Leithen.

Ogunro alludes to the healthy financial packages that a lot of the clubs in Scottish football’s fifth tier can now offer and says the East Peffermill outfit, along with their Stirling counterparts, are worlds apart in comparison to the likes of league leaders Kelty Hearts and East Stirlingshire.

“We are not in a good position and we are very concerned. But, at the moment, it’s not insurmountable,” Ogunro explained. “The reality is that we’ve got no divine right to be in the Lowland League. Budget-wise we should be where we are.

“What we’ve been doing season after season is punching above our weight. We’ve always had really good players but without them we struggle. And, once they start developing into the player we hoped they would become, they leave.

“It’s part of the process I enjoy but it makes my job a lot harder.

“Take Mark Waters and Finn Daniels-Yeomans for example, they are up there with the very best in this division on their day.”

Ogunro continued: “If you look at the table then it doesn’t look great. But, in saying that, the bigger picture would show that we’ve been playing well in a lot of our games recently. We should probably be seven to ten points better off than we are.

“We’re slightly different from other teams in that development is a huge thing for us. Boys are progressing and taking on board what we’re saying but this is nothing new, we’ve always got a young side. It’s just another cycle we go through.

“It’s a big game tomorrow and one we’re looking to win, that’s for sure.”